An Imperfect Night
by LazerTH
Summary: After a very long time, here is another story that I typed up: Sonic asks Sally out on an important date, and then discovers that they'll have unpleasant company. I strove for many hours to make this a worthwhile read, so please read it and justify my wor
1. Invitations

An imperfect night

An imperfect night

By LazerTH

Note: All characters in this fanfiction are property of Sega EXCEPT Lazer the Hedgehog (my character) and others of my imagination. If you want to get to know Lazer better, read my previous fanfiction, "The New Freedom Fighter".

I take these few lines to personally thank Sonic Dust for giving me additional information and support for this fanfiction. You're the man, Sonic Dust.

By the way… this fanfic is my first attempt at a "romance" type, however, most of it is actually action/adventure. I strove for many hours to make this story acceptable to my standards. I wish you happy reading.

-The author, LazerTH.

Chapter 1: Invitations

Morning dawned on the city. The Mobian sun sparkled in the cool dewy air, reflecting off the windows of apartment buildings and work places. It heralded the new day, as the citizens awoke and began their daily activities. This city was relatively young, and so were its inhabitants. It was the city built by the Freedom Fighters, and all who sought freedom and liberty. 

For the past two years, Robotnik had been kept at bay due to the efforts of the Freedom Fighters. He had tried every plan his brilliant mind could conceive, but each and every time, he was crushed (sometimes with ignominy) by the Freedom Fighters. As a tribute to their victories, they founded this city… and dared Robotnik to destroy it. He could not. His resources had been utterly spent waging war against the Freedom Fighters, who either destroyed what he created, or stole from him. 

For two years, there was something the citizens of Mobius had not experienced for a long, long time: peace.

So they had lived their lives, inviting others to share their happiness. The city had grown. Families had been started. Lives were made. The undercurrent of fear that had been the 'status quo' for so many years was now gone, forgotten in time.

They were at peace, and that was all they needed to be content. Robotnik had not died, unfortunately, and was rumoured to be brooding in his city of machines, Robotropolis, which was less than ten miles from the new city. The fact that Robotnik was practically their neighbour displayed the founders' confidence that they would never be overthrown. They were neither attacked nor disturbed, for two years. 

To give you an idea of the present time, Sonic the Hedgehog, who had been a founding member of the original Freedom Fighters, was now twenty years of age. The young blue hedgehog had certainly not lost his reputation as the fastest thing alive on the face of Mobius. He could easily surpass the electronic commuter trains that had been set up in the new city. He had also grown an unruly mop of green hair, and styled it into long spikes that hung between his eyes and all over his head. It was typical of such a carefree soul.

Sonic had decided to get a job (since the threat of Robotnik seemed to be past, and also because he wanted to have his own money), and was now the overpaid employee of a pizza delivery service. Overpaid, understandably, as the business had become quite popular due to Sonic's motto of "Delivered in less than 5 minutes or free!" The customers had to tip Sonic three times more than normal if they asked for _him _to deliver their pizza. They were never disappointed, and the manager of the pizza service was more than happy to add an extra zero to Sonic's salary.Now, it was during work that Fate decided to deal a hand in this hedgehog's life.

The speedy blue marvel, wearing his jacket and a hat that advertised the pizza delivery service, was racing down one of the paved sidewalks, his shoes (and himself) a blur to onlookers. Loose pieces of paper on the ground were thrown into the air by the gust of wind he left in his wake. In one of his hands he balanced a flat, red cardboard box (you can guess its contents). He traversed another block within moments, and that was when he heard the shout.

An expensive-looking, gray sports model of new make was recklessly speeding down the road. Pedestrians (one of which Sonic had heard crying out) scattered in all directions, diving for safety, forgetting whatever they were carrying in order to preserve their lives. Groceries were strewn on the road, several had been injured, and there was a general atmosphere of alarm.

"Uh-oh! Seems there's trouble brewing…"

As he picked up the pace, he heard yells coming from the car itself! Slowing down a notch so that he would not overtake the car, and still balancing the pizza box, he looked sideways at the driver. He was a middle-aged ferret, graying at the temples, with eyes wide with fear, fixated on the road.

"Hey mister! Just because you got new wheels doesn't mean you have to show them off!"

He looked back at Sonic in a state of fright and confusion.

"I didn't order a pizza!" he cried, swinging the steering wheel to avoid another car. Sonic moved in sync with the speeding car. The buildings and people were racing past them in a blur of colours.

"Can you slow down?"

"I can't!! My brakes are gone!"

Sonic looked ahead of himself and the car, noticing that they were heading straight for a hairpin turn just before the bridge, that crossed a river running through that part of the city. 

There was also a large light post at that curve.

"Aieee!! I'm going to crash!" the man shouted, crushing the brake pedal onto the floor to no avail. The two speeding objects flashed by, causing several pedestrians to turn their heads in surprise, while those on the road dodged quickly.

"Come on! Open the door and I'll bail you out!"

"What! Oh well…"

The ferret opened the door and Sonic grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"No time!"

The blue hedgehog promptly screeched to a halt, nearly jolting the ferret's arm from its socket. They paused to watch the car hurtle at top speed toward the light post. With the sound of shrieking metal, the post cut it the car into two masses of metal and broken glass. Moments later the chassis went up in flames. 

"You okay, mister?"

The ferret wailed in dismay.

"My… My new car!" he cried, flinging his arms upward in a gesture of helplessness. He was suddenly angry.

"Blasted new cars! Their brakes are the first things to give problems! I'm going to sue that automobile company for attempted murder…"

"Calm down, mister! You're safe, right? Nothing broken? Okay, I'll let the fire service handle that… I've got a delivery to make!"

He began to run off but the ferret held his arm.

"I forgot to thank you, young signor! Wait a moment…"

He fumbled in his shirt pockets as Sonic nervously looked at his watch. He got a good chance to examine his latest rescue victim. Apart from the graying hair on his face, the rest of his fur did not seem affected by age. He was on the pudgy side, almost a foot taller than Sonic and he wore a handsome gray business suit, matching the car he… had.

"Ah! Here they are…"

He pressed two slips of paper into Sonic's palm. The latter looked down at them.

"They are free VIP passes for my restaurant, Cliff Dome! I was going to give them to one of my esteemed customers, but you have proved more than worthy of them! Bring a friend with you anytime you wish signor… and please bring a _female _friend, capiche? My name is Luciano Parazzi. I'll expect a call from you when you ask the lucky girl out!"

Sonic stared at him. What was he insinuating, 'please bring a _female_ friend'?

"Well, many more thanks, signor, I must leave now…"

He strode off, muttering something about his insurance company. Sonic looked at the tickets once more, shrugged, and swiftly sprinted to another part of the city.

After all: five minutes, or free.

Minutes later the fire service arrived, put out the flames, and the crowd dispersed. They were glad that Freedom Fighters like Sonic came to the city on a regular basis.

Finally, the hidden camera that had been watching all the drama closed its shutters.


	2. Thinking about the Question

Chapter 2: Plans for a date

Chapter 2: Thinking about the Question

Knothole. It had grown considerably these past two years in peace. Huts were being constructed larger than usual, some of them were houses, but all was still under the camouflage of the trees. Many of the Freedom Fighters had left Knothole for the new city, as they planned to have better lives there. Now that the threat of Robotnik seemed to be past, Knothole had a happy community. The original Freedom Fighters, that is, Sonic, Sally, Tails, Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor still lived there, along with some of their friends.

King Acorn still resided in his palace near to Knothole. His legs had been paralyzed for some time after a failed attempt of attacking Robotropolis, but continuous therapy had worked, and he had donated his wheelchair to one of his unfortunate subjects. At least he could walk again. He now resided contentedly with his son, Elias, who had handed reign over to his father after the King had regained his ability to walk, his wife, Alicia, who enjoyed taking long walks in the woods with him, and his daughter, Sally, who came to visit ever so often. Sir John was ever the loyal guard to the royal family. So far, he had never failed to protect the King and his family from danger, and accompanied the King and his wife on those long walks. Antoine had been assigned as Knothole's permanent guard. The coyote did not complain, of course, for he was but a subject to the King. Thus, the King reigned, and all was peaceful in Knothole and the Great Forest.

Sonic screeched to a halt just outside of Knothole. The sun was still at its zenith, with a single, large cloud covering it. It was a welcome cool after an entire morning of racing across hot pavements while balancing an equally heated pizza. Citizens of the not-so-humble village (well, since King Acorn had taken residence, Knothole was officially a kingdom, but was still a village in terms of size, nonetheless) greeted him with a 'hello' or 'welcome back, dude'. He muttered replies and locked himself inside his hut. Pushing aside his bed, he reached underneath and removed a key from between the mattress springs. He removed three floorboards and unlocked his cashbox. It was chock full of cash (remember his overpaying job and exorbitant tips). He stuffed the fistful of notes inside it and replaced the floorboards and bed to their original state. Then he decided to look around the village.

The sun had revealed itself once again. Its strong rays beat down upon the forest. However, Knothole, which was obscured from view by the dense foliage, did not feel the brunt of the fiery orb's attack. Sonic wandered about. He saw that some of the older citizens (that is, above the age of thirty) were engaged in conversation, or simply lounging against a tree in the dim shade. The Boondock family had taken out their board games, and others joined them at the foot of a massive oak tree. Walking into the shadow of an elm, he spied the 'royal' guard, Antoine D'Coolette, sneaking toward Bunnie Rabbot's hut. Antoine looked over his shoulder, and then obtained a small, pink piece of paper from within his uniform. He let it flutter to the ground, spun on his heel, and walked off.

Sonic did not notice when the coyote's boot deftly kicked the paper under the door.

With a small smile on his face (if you knew Antoine and Bunnie as well as Sonic did, you would also have smiled at the furtive delivery), Sonic came from behind the tree and softly walked off in another direction.

Near to his own hut, one of the younger members of the Freedom Fighters, Tails, had a hot plate of food waiting for his pal. Usually it was chilidogs that the twin tailed fox rustled up for his buddy, but Tails had decided long ago that Sonic should start eating HEALTHY food. He left the barbecue pit, hung his apron on a nail and walked into the village square. He noticed Sonic walking among the trees.

"Hey, Sonic!" he called out. The teenager turned in surprise. "I've got your lunch for you over here."

"Hey, Tails, my main man, good to see you."

He broke into a run, zoomed past Tails and gave him a high five. Tails smirked at the abrupt greeting. He was used to the fast-paced life of Sonic.

"Hey! Tails, aw man, not again…"

"You have to eat your vegetables, Sonic. They're good for you."

Sonic muttered under his breath as he glowered at the plate containing an assortment of wild fruit and vegetables that Tails had collected.

"What do I have to do to get some decent chow around here?"

"Eat that, and I'll give you what I made on the grill today."

Sonic tilted his head to one side and sniffed. An appreciative smile spread across his face.

"Chili dogs! Yeah…"

"Now, eat your veggies, or I won't give you them," he held up the plate with Sonic's favourite food.

"AW! Tails, you know that my food groups consist of chilidogs, chilidogs and chilidogs! I can't eat this green stuff without getting green in the face! Give me a break."

Tails rolled his eyes. The wind wafted the smell toward Sonic.

"Gimme those chilidogs! I'm starving."

The fox pointed to the vegetable plate.

"First, you…"

"Oh, that DOES IT MAN!"

Before Tails could so much as blink in surprise, his speedy blue buddy whisked the plate from his hand and shot off to parts unknown.

"What the! Sonic, you idiot, get back here!"

But his cries of protest went unheard. During all these years, Tails thought exasperatedly, Sonic's attitude toward food hadn't changed.

After stuffing his face, Sonic washed up using a nearby water pump. He blindly reached for the towel and someone handed it to him.

"Hey, thanks."

He rubbed his eyes, and threw back the spikes of hair that had fallen over his eyes. He recognized her immediately.

"Sally!"

"Hey, Sonic, how was work?"

His heart suddenly began to beat faster, as a smile lit up his face. Cute girls (especially Sally Acorn) had that effect on him. She had moved out of the palace about a year ago, since her tutelage had been going remarkably well and the royal tutor was satisfied that she was able to take up the throne at any given moment. Sally had moved into Knothole once more, and was now seeing Sonic a lot more often. Sonic had also moved out of his parents' home in favour of living near to Knothole and (obviously) Sally.

"Hey Sally! Work was fine, delivering pizza at the speed of sound," he leaned forward and pecked her cheek. He put the towel to his face and began rubbing again.

Sally smiled and pulled the towel away, hanging it on the hook next to the pump.

"I won't take such a common answer from you. Really, did anything happen at all besides work?"

She was looking at him, with those light blue eyes. Those eyes were one of the many things that had caused him to fall in love with her.

"Well, there was this guy, in a car with no brakes."

"What happened?"

He looked sideways at her, amused.

"Well, I had to run, open the door and bail him before he got separated by a light post."

"Sounds interesting! Was he all right?"

She was looking at him eagerly, as if such trivial matters held any interest for her. He could not resist that gorgeous face of hers. 

"Yeah, well, he was okay I guess. He said somethin' about suing a motor company."

"Well, I know you're okay."

He grinned. She was _his_ girl.

"Yeah, well, I did save him and all. Anyway, Sal, I gotta run…" 

He turned to leave.

"Why? I was hoping we could go play a board game together…"

The word 'together' hung in the air as he stopped in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, smiled a little, uttered the platitudinous "Maybe next time" and ran off.

Sally smiled knowingly. She, too, was accustomed to his supersonic (pun intended) lifestyle. 

Sonic was running toward his hut. Arriving there, he quickly pulled out the armoured cash box from the floor and shot off to the city this time.

The moment Sally had said the word "together" a thought had entered his mind, which had surprised him. Why hadn't he thought of it the moment he had seen her today? Why hadn't he asked? 

It was not the right moment. The conditions were not correct for such a question. If he were to make such a commitment, the place in time and the place itself must be perfect, for she was royalty, and _his_ girl. Then he remembered. The free VIP passes to the most expensive restaurant in the hemisphere. The money he had earned today.

Of course! It all made sense, as if something divine had caused these series of events to occur, for this to happen: 

He was going to ask her to marry him.


	3. Other plans

Ch

Ch. 3 Other plans

The sun shone brightly upon the malevolent city of Robotropolis. The city was not worthy of such brilliant glory. Well, Robotnik was complaining. He mumbled several curses at the golden sphere before he pressed a button for the blinds to close.

He turned to the main console, and watched once more the video feed of Sonic as he saved the old ferret from the new car. Turning from the screen to peer out at his city, he cursed luridly for several moments. That damn hedgehog. He hated him more than the rest.

The overweight scientist was not having a good life.

As explained before, his resources had been spent during the war with the Freedom Fighters. His nephew, Snively, had deserted him and migrated to another country. He had been wise to do so, after Robotnik's apparent defeat. Robotnik, for the past two years, had been spent gathering resources (in secret, naturally) that would return him to his former strength. He wondered why the rodents had not over-run his city and destroyed him once and for all.

What were they waiting for, he wondered? Was there the possibility they still feared him?

He twisted his mustachioed face in anger. Blasted Freedom Fighters! Blasted Sonic, most of all! If not for them, and _him_, Mobius would have been his a long time ago. He hated them, hated them all, with all his might. They plundered his city and caused him trouble to no end. Why, the blasted rodents had had the impudence to build a city right next to his! He swore several times more.

"SIR, NEW VIDEO FEED THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST," came the computerized voice, as the monitor flashed.

"What now?" he grumbled. He had concealed cameras dotted about various points in the city. It had taken a lot of ingenuity (and a touch of genius) to have a 24-hour watch on that city. The chair he was sitting in shifted his unwieldy body to the screen. He watched with interest, this time, as that same 'blasted hedgehog' entered a jewelry shop. He watched with increasing disbelief, as the blue rodent purchased what appeared to be, on closer inspection, a twelve-karat diamond ring!

What in the name of all that was robotic was that blue rodent up to!?

"Hm. What about that other video feed?" he muttered to himself.

He tapped in several commands and the other video feed played once more. He noted that at the end, the senior ferret had given Sonic two pieces of paper. Zooming in at maximum, he read the tickets. VIP passes to Cliff Dome! This was getting very interesting indeed. He guessed correctly that the two incidents were tied together. He cropped a screenshot of the old video feed and processed it in the main frame. Within moments he had Luciano Parazzi's life laid out before him. Grew up in another continent. Came into money early in life. Married, has two daughters. Following his parents' example, he had migrated to a foreign country (this country) after things had settled down and built the Cliff Dome, which was now the highest-ranking, most prominent restaurant for two thousand miles. He was a very wealthy man in terms of money and land ownership. 

Less than half an hour later, he had slotted the pieces of this mystery concerning Sonic, the restaurant owner and jewelry store into place. He knew exactly what would happen next. He also knew that Sonic had a sweetheart…

Robotnik smiled. It was not with humour. What if he were to intervene…


	4. Evil intervention

Chapter 3: Evil intervention

Chapter 4: Evil intervention

Mr. Parazzi was relaxing in the open-air pool of his three-story suburban house. Amidst palm trees and the expansive grounds of his home, he sipped tequila while floating on a full-length inflatable raft. Life held many pleasures for him, since he had become magnificently rich, and had colleagues who could change the paths of world economy. He was content with his position and power. He had a family, friends, and, of course, MONEY. What more could he need?

"Sir, a call for you."

Parazzi removed his sunglasses. 

"Who is it, butler?"

"It is an urgent call, Sir. The gentleman insisted on speaking to you immediately.

Parazzi sighed and pushed himself closer to the pool's edge so that his butler could hand him the phone. The butler then walked off, nose held high. 

"Yes?"

"Mr. Luciano Parazzi, do you know who this is?"

Parazzi gripped the side of the raft. Robotnik. He vividly remembered his incident with the dangerous madman some years ago. It had happened two weeks after his restaurant had opened. He had refused Robotnik entrance to the restaurant since he had no escort or anyone accompanying him, for that matter. Luciano had also refused admittance of Robotnik's robots. Those metal men followed him wherever he went, but Luciano was adamant. No robots, androids or cyborgs allowed, just simple organic beings. Robotnik had made quite a scene and stamped off minutes later, his robots escorting him. It had taken quite a toll on the restaurant owner's blood pressure. Now, what did Robotnik want? From the stories his customers told, Luciano knew only too well what Robotnik was capable of.

"Dr. Ivo Robotnik. How n-nice of you to call me, signor. Is there some business you wish to conduct?"

On the other end of the line, Robotnik smirked. The uneasiness was plain in the ferret's voice.

"I know that today, you offered a certain blue hedgehog by the name of Sonic two VIP passes to your prominent restaurant. I am giving you a simple choice: Refuse admittance, or face the consequences."

Luciano's blood pressure acted up again. He sank back into the raft.

"What…" he managed to croak. 

"Yes, Parazzi, refuse to entertain that blue rodent and his friend, or I will be forced to entertain you, rather distastefully, I might add."

With that, Robotnik cut the connection. Luciano dropped the phone, which struck the water and slowly sunk to the base of the pool. Then he called for his butler.

Luciano had remembered the name written on Sonic's hat. Some minutes later the manager of a pizza delivery service received a call from Mr. Parazzi. He was asked where a young man by the name of Sonic would be. The manager did not know; Sonic did not have any phone number. The caller was frantic. 

"Where might I contact him?" he asked. 

"I do not have a specific phone number. But, he arrives here every day at eight AM sharp for work. You may leave a message for him if you wish?"  
"Thank you, signor! Please, tell him this…"


	5. Preparation for a date

Ch

Ch. 5: Preparation for a date

Sonic had arrived in the Great Forest after purchasing the ring. Eleven months' worth of salary were now this exceptionally fine-crafted ring in a silk box. Gold, with a sizeable diamond set in the midst of two smaller ones. The jeweler had even offered to imprint Sally's name on the ring's inner curve. 

Back in his hut, he stored the ring under the floorboards with his cash box. Then he sped off once more. Those around the village had seen him dash here not two minutes ago, and now he was gone as if something was chasing him. They shrugged, and went back to their individual concerns.

The Lake of Rings was still producing Power Rings faithfully once per day. Sonic or Tails had always arrived on time all these years to grab the ring as it broke the surface. The Lake had been given a very capable guardian by the name of Lazer The Hedgehog. He was very capable at his job due to five red Chaos Emeralds whose power had been absorbed within him many years ago. How this vast power had become his is another story. He was a red-furred hedgehog with orange skin, and a peculiar V-shaped patch of fur on his forehead. He wore spiked shoes and the spines on his head were over two feet long.

Lazer was a forced refugee from his now obliterated country of Xadra, far across the sea. Robotnik had gone to war with the country of red hedgehogs, around four years ago. After one year of ceaseless fighting, he concluded that the country could not be overthrown. Defeated, Robotnik used his massive Death Egg to nuke Adrax, the capital of Xadra, with a nuclear mega bomb. The bomb wiped out all trace of life within ten thousand square kilometers, and Robotnik had escaped in the same Death Egg, leaving behind the wasteland remains of a once advanced civilization.

Lazer had witnessed the tremendous destruction of his country. He found his father, and, before dying, his father implored him never to take a life for a life. After his father died, the destruction of Lazer's life was complete. His family and friends were now dust blown in the wind. He could not kill Robotnik, and could not die because he _had_ to take revenge. The Emeralds had granted immortality (but not invulnerability) and powers beyond comparison, but he still could not kill his sworn enemy for destroying his life. He had been heartbroken at his father's love for life, in comparison to his own bloodthirsty thoughts, at that point. He vowed to respect his father's wish, but to also carry out justice. So, Lazer had flown (he could fly, by the way) to the Great Forest and joined the Freedom Fighters, for one single purpose: overthrow the overlord, Robotnik, at all costs. 

Four years had passed since. He and the other Fighters had managed to prevent Robotnik from overthrowing Mobius. For the time being, he was satisfied that peace had settled and the fighting had calmed, but he wanted to see the day when Robotnik died. He would never, ever cease his hatred for Robotnik until either one of them died. Being immortal, he could wait, for a very long time, for the day when Robotnik would depart this life. On that day, he would personally tear down Robotropolis.

Lazer, as you now understand, would gladly want Robotnik to suffer horribly, or at least help thwart his plans. He spent his days by the Lake and his own hut, guarding both with the combined might of five Chaos emeralds. He would only help the Freedom Fighters if called upon, and he proved to be very helpful indeed.

The red hedgehog was now staring out over the Lake. He often did this, along with meditation, to help him think about other things besides revenge. That was when his solitude was intruded upon.

"Lazer!"

"Sonic. What're you doing here?" He turned to the younger hedgehog. Sonic halted on the other side of the Lake.

"Uh, Lazer, this may sound weird, but I need your advice on somethin'…"

Lazer smiled bemusedly. When _Sonic_ asked for help, it was usually in a time of crises.

"What do you want to know?"

"Uh, um, it's kinda personal…"

Lazer was surprised. Sonic was the finest example of the independent youth. Now he needing advice on something personal? How curious.

"Well, ask away."

Sonic shuffled his feet and looked at the trees around him. What was he doing here? Can't I do this on my own, he wondered? He knew that he could not. Looking at the lake and not directly at Lazer, he spoke.

"Uh… I want to- to take Sally out on a date."

"A date?" Lazer raised his eyebrows.

"Well, it's not going to be just any sort of date. I… I'm gonna ask her to…uh…"

"Marry you?"

Sonic looked up, startled. 

"Ye- yes. How did you know?"

"The last time I heard you acted nervous like that, you were helping Sally decide which swimsuit she should wear to the beach."

"How'd you know about that!?!" Sonic yelled suddenly, furiously glaring at the other hedgehog. Birds flew off trees at the sudden disturbance. Lazer rolled his eyes at the display of anger.

"A reliable source. Anyway, when is the engagement going to take place?"

Sonic frowned deeply. Lazer was the only one who he could turn to without news being spread about the village in less than two seconds. The red hedgehog had isolated himself from the rest of the village. He also acted so indifferent at times that Sonic wished he had been killed in that mega-thermonuclear blast. He sighed.

"I'm taking her to Cliff Dome."

"Woah, Sonic, you can't afford it. You also need some pretty powerful connections to even come within two hundred metres of the place."

"Says who?"

He triumphantly displayed the VIP passes. Lazer raised his eyebrows again.

"Did you steal those?" he asked solemnly.

"No, I saved the owner of the place from a car crash today, and he gave them to me."

"Oh."  
Sonic glared at him. 

"Don't you even care?"

"Sonic, why do you need my advice?"

Sonic glowered at him again. He was losing patience very quickly.

"I'm taking her tomorrow night. I… don't know how to act in such a classy place."

"What makes you think that _I_ do?"

Sonic growled in his throat.

"Damn it, Lazer! If you don't want to help me, say so!"

More birds flew off the trees. Lazer turned his attention to the quietly rippling waters of the lake.

"I will. Just ask."

Sonic was at the edge of his patience. 

"I need to know how to act properly so I don't go and make a fool of myself," he muttered reluctantly. The other hedgehog looked up.

"Finally! You asked me. All right, listen and watch carefully."

For two hours, he taught his new student the way he should hold himself when walking, how to speak correctly to others, and possible areas of conversation he could have. He also advised him on what to wear. By spending most of his life in a highly advanced city, those matters were common knowledge to Lazer.

"Are you ready for the big night?" he finally asked.

"Wait! I don't know table manners that well either…"

"I can't tutor you all day. But, there is someone who can do a better job of that."

"Who?"  
"The esteemed guard, Antoine."

"WHAT!?" he protested, reeling at the thought.

"Sorry, Sonic, but he knows that stuff better than I do. I'll admit that I was not the favourite at the dinner table… One more thing! Warn Sally about this date early tomorrow morning so that she'll have time to prepare herself. Well, good luck, and congratulations on having made up your mind about this."

"Yeah, thanks… I appreciate it, you know."

As Sonic's footsteps trailed off, he thought, _"Crazy kid. I hope he doesn't mess things up for Sally."_

That thought also reminded him of _his_ girl. His thoughts went back to the past. He had known her for four years, and she had become the love of his life: one of the few people who always made him smile. Then the war had started, and she had disappeared about a week before the nuke dropped. He had spent three days searching for her after the explosion, and was sure he had covered every square inch of the obliterated city, but her body had never been found. At least, he thought, there was a chance that Rebecca was still alive, somewhere, a refugee like himself in another country. It was one of those thoughts that kept him sane.

He stood there, watching the Lake, fists clenched at his sides.

Sonic, while he ran toward Knothole, groaned at the thought of asking that snobbish guard for help. He would be forced to grovel before Antoine even lifted a finger. 

_Well,_ he thought, _I'm not going through with this just for me, or just for Sally. I'm doing this for the both of us._


	6. Wanna go out?

Chapter 6: Wanna go out

Chapter 6: Wanna go out?

Starting at the window, the sunlight slanted across the room and fell on Sonic's closed eyes. He squinted and turned over in his warm bed, and pulled the pillow over his head. He did not feel like waking up today, especially after the ordeal of being taught by Antoine for the duration of yesterday's evening. The guard had acted so know-it-all, and Sonic had to beg Antoine before the coyote even considered. Imagine begging for help from someone you utterly disrespect! It had dealt a severe blow to his ego.

_"I am not teaching you for YOU," _the smug guard had stated, _"but simply because ze princess weel be accompanying you."_

Well, at least the trial in Hell would have been worth it tonight.

Then he remembered.

"Whoa! Almost forgot…"

He quickly slipped into his shoes and jacket. Moments afterward, he was standing next to Sally's hut. The morning air was chilly, and his breath came out in a mist. It was only a few months till Christmas. The sun had risen at the horizon, and the forest (including Knothole) was just beginning to stir. Animals chattered in the depths of the woods. Birds began their sleepy morning song. Droplets of morning dew covered the blades of grass and leaves, giving them a fresh, shimmering look. All was peaceful.

"This will be a truly happy Christmas, if I pull this off…"

He stood there for several minutes, shuffling his feet. He was so panicky about asking the girl he loved on this date. He had dated her many times before, but this particular date was not going to be and ordinary walk in the woods. Of course, he reassured himself, she would accept, but what about the date itself? He earnestly hoped that he would remember all that Lazer and Antoine had taught him yesterday. He wrung his hands in anxiety, and shoved them into his pockets. The VIP passes were still there. Sonic glanced at the door. He could barely resist the urge to knock. However, he wanted her to be awake for the invitation. All part of "etiquette" or whatever Antoine had called it.

More minutes passed. Sonic was becoming convinced that she had heard him outside and had snuck out through the roof. His stomach felt as if someone was tying it in knots. His heart was beating so loudly; he wondered if it had woken her yet. He leaned next to her door, fervently hoping she would come out before he died from self-inflicted cardiac arrest. He was a hedgehog with nerves.

The door opened!

"Sally!"

"WHA!"

"Hey!"

Sonic jumped away from the door.

"Oh, Sonic! You frightened me!" she groaned. Sonic felt blood rush to his face. 

_"What an idiot I am!"_ he thought._ "Now she'll never allow me to take her out!"_

"Uh, Sally! I'm sorry…"

"Hey! Why were you standing by my door?" she murmured, rubbing sleep from her attractive eyes.

"Well, uh, you see…"

He fumbled in the jacket pocket and displayed the passes. Sally forgot about her sleepiness.

"Th-the Cliff Dome!? Where on Mobius did you get those?"

"Remember that guy I saved yesterday? He owned the place."

"Well, that's great!"

"Yeah…" he stared at the ground and kicked it.

Sally looked at him. Her boyfriend was anxious, an emotion that was practically wiped out from his psyche.

"Is something wrong, Sonic?"

"What! Oh, no, it's just that I want to ask you something…"

She smiled. So that's what those passes were for, she deducted correctly.

"To go on a date?" she asked hopefully.

Sonic gaped at her.

"Bu-but that's the SECOND time someone took the words outta my mouth! What's going on here, a conspiracy against me!?"

Then he caught himself. She was looking at him with those eyes again. The same way she had looked at him after they kissed by a waterfall some days ago. By the Ancient Walkers, he loved her. He smiled back affectionately.

"Sal, you know I would do anything to make you happy."

"So, it's a date then?"

Sonic was intensely aware that she was drawing nearer to him.

"Um, yeah, you could call it that. I can pick you up at eight?"

"Well, Sonic," she said, slurring the words in a way that made his heart melt, "I'll see you tonight."

She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his right cheek. After which she went back inside and closed the door. 

_Darn,_ she thought to herself as she stared at her room, _I don't have an evening dress!_

Sonic stared blankly forward. So that was it. It was a date. He had wished that kiss had been a little more intimate. 

He turned away from the door and stared up at the clear blue sky. Now there was no turning back. He felt a peculiar floating sensation, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart and mind. His worrisome attitude had been for naught. She wanted to go out with him, and he would sooner give up his sneakers than let something go awry.

When he went for breakfast, his mind was so far off, thinking about Sally, that he tripped over his own foot on his way to the table. He ended up splattering his meal over Antoine's freshly ironed uniform. It had caused a scene, with Antoine whipping out his sword and threatening to remove Sonic's clumsy feet permanently. The proud guard then stamped off to scrub the stain. Sonic's euphoric mood had not been altered one iota. He skipped breakfast and went straight to work, with a smile fixated on his face. Nothing could spoil his mood.

Or, so he thought…


	7. Tonight's plans

Chapter 7: Tonight's plans

Chapter 7: Tonight's plans

The red haired echidna walked crossed the street. She was on her way to work, like the hundreds of other citizens of the city. She was the joint owner of a salon, and carried an armful of paper bags that contained a various assortment of cosmetics. She did not leave the beauty products in the salon any longer, ever since that break-in six weeks ago. While crossing a road opposite to 'her' salon, the unexpected happened. In about one tenth of a second, some tremendous rush of wind threw her off balance. All of the cosmetics scattered across the road. She sat abruptly on the road surface to get a hold of herself. What had just happened?

"Oops! I have to watch myself when I'm running like that."

Confused more than ever, she looked up. He was a blue hedgehog with green hair, wearing a jacket and a pizza delivery service cap, but no pizza. He was holding a gloved hand toward her, and grinning. She took it and he pulled her upright.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" she asked, trying to fix her mussed up hair.

"Sorry about this mess. Be with you in a sec."

Before she knew what was happening, the bags were back in her arms, with all of their contents.

"I have to go now. I hope I didn't hurt you back there."

"Uh, that's okay, and thanks."

He smiled at her. She noticed that his eyes were particularly bright.

"No prob. See ya."

In that same blast of wind, he rocketed off, but this time she held the packages. Then, she realized why his eyes were so bright. He was in love with someone. 

She then crossed the road quickly, as cars were honking their horns at her.

"Sonic! You have a message."

"Excuse me, Sir? A message?"

Sonic had just arrived at his workplace, three seconds after the incident on the road and with the same smile beaming on his face. The place was still under construction, as Sonic brought in a hefty income and its owner was adding new sections to it.

"Yes. From a Mr. Parazzi."

Sonic took the slip of paper. It had the phone number of the restaurant owner, along with the words, "Please call: Urgent!" What did he want? It did not matter. He'd get this over with, finish work, and go back to Knothole to prepare. He smiled as broadly as ever.

"Sure, Sir. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"OK, Sonic."

As Sonic left, the boss rubbed his chin thoughtfully. A boy could only be that happy (and smile as if he were injecting something) when he was in love. After all, the boss had experience in such things. Extensive experience.

Outside on the sidewalk, in a public phone booth, Sonic unhooked the phone and punched in the numbers. He had no clue why Parazzi would want to contact him. Surely, something had not come up? Some moments later the phone was answered.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Parazzi?"

"Sonic! Thank God it's you."

Sonic felt an inkling of trouble.

"What message do you have for me?"

"Sonic, is anyone around you at the moment?"

Sonic was now positive that something was wrong. He darted his eyes about his surroundings. No one was close enough to hear him. 

"No."

"Sonic, it's about those VIP passes. You can no longer come to Cliff Dome."

"WHAT! NO WAY!" Sonic yelled into the receiver. What in the name of all that was sacred did he want to cancel the passes for?

"Sonic, please, Robotnik called me yesterday with the warning that if I allowed you to come to the Cliff Dome, he would do something terrible."

A thundercloud darkened Sonic's face. Not _him_ again!

"Robotnik! Of all the bastards…"

"Sonic, you must understand! He is capable of many horrid things! You of all people should know that, if the stories I heard about you are true!"

"No. HELL NO! I'm not allowing Buttnik to stop my date with Sally!"

"Sonic!" the ferret was frantic now, "I have my wife and daughters to think about! He didn't say what the consequences would be, but I'm pretty sure he'll go after them!"

"I'm not canceling the date," he said with finality.

"Sonic! You don't understand!"

"I DO understand! He just wants revenge for what the Freedom Fighters did to him years ago. I won't give in to his threats! And neither will you!"

"Me?" the voice whimpered.

"Yes, you! You can't be serious about letting Buttnik have his own way!"

"But, my family…" 

"Would be ashamed of you right now! You can't play the helpless coward here! Arrange for them to leave the country! Anything! Just get them away from wherever you live! He doesn't have the power to come after you if you move from the country."

Parazzi understood what Sonic was trying to tell him. He could not let Robotnik threaten him like this without losing every last shred of his pride.

"Sonic, I will take your advice, but what about you and your date? Surely if you go to the Cliff Dome something terrible…"

"I have no worries about that," cut in Sonic determinedly, "I'll take care of the date myself. All I want from you is assurance that the restaurant be open tonight, and after that you and your family can leave forever."

Parazzi considered this.

"You have a deal. The restaurant will be open tonight, and ONLY tonight. After that I will announce my retirement and leave the country with my family."

_He sure made up his mind fast_, Sonic thought.

"Excellent. I'll be there before nine PM tonight. Don't worry about what Robotnik _will_ do; I have people who can make sure NOTHING goes wrong tonight. I'll see you later."

He hung up. On the other line, Parazzi mopped his brow and picked up the phone again. He proceeded to call each client who had a reservation after nine PM, and cancel it with one simple reason: the restaurant was going to be closed indefinitely.

_Damn Robotnik!_ Sonic thought, as he furiously kicked to phone booth, causing some heads to turn. _Why did he have to come into this?_ Sonic did not know how the old madman had found out about his date, but he was three hundred percent sure that Robotnik would do something to mess it up. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his already messed up hair. Why include Sally in his diabolical plans? He was sickened that Robotnik would also harm Sally just to get to him. Sonic left for work with his mood permanently ruined. He would have to devise a plan that would make the date progress without a hitch. After he delivered his last pizza, with the customer wondering why Sonic had closed the door for him, he had the Plan laid out neatly in his head. It was simple enough, and did not involve too many people. He left for Knothole in a state of trepidation for what was to come.

He did not believe, for one microsecond, that Robotnik would win a victory tonight.

Back in Knothole…

"Tails!"

"Yeah Sonic?"

The young fox turned from his game of chess with Rotor. He was winning, of course. As he turned his attention to Sonic, he was immediately certain that _something _had happened to cause him to have that expression on his face. His pal's face was a mask of anger. His eyes burned with a familiar flame.

"Come with me. I have something I want you to help me with."

"Sure, Sonic." 

He turned to Rotor as Sonic walked off.

"I guess we'll finish later?"

"Yeah. I've never seen Sonic angry like that for a long time now."

Tails hurried after Sonic. 

"Antoine!"

The blue uniformed coyote hastily stuffed a piece of pink paper into a pocket.

"What do you want, you blue menace?" he sniffed at Sonic. His orange fox friend was following him. Whatever Sonic and Tails wanted, he did not want to be involved. He was busy pacing the perimeter of Knothole, doing his guard duty.

"If you don't come with me NOW, Sally will be extremely angry at you."

The guard caught himself before uttering a snide remark. If the Princess so desired, who was he to argue? He was in her and her father's service.

"Fine. But if you play ze practical joke on me, you'll have my sword to answer to!"

"It is not a joke."

Judging from the expression on Sonic's face, Antoine assumed it was not.

The trio was walking toward the Lake of Rings. The trees overhead cast their shadowy gloom over them as they treaded across dead leaves and twigs.

"So, Sonic, what's up?"

"Yes, what eez so important that I have to leave my guard duties?"

Sonic's mood had not changed for the better. After that conversation earlier on, he knew that he could not, _would_ not play games with Robotnik this time.

"You'll both find out. It's something so important that if anyone else knew, the Plan would be jeopardized."

"Whoa. Sounds serious."

Sonic's frown deepened.

"It is."

They tramped forward in silence for several minutes. Eventually they came to the clearing that held the Lake of Rings. Lazer's hut was nearby.

"We'll have the meeting in there."

"I thought you said that no one else could know?" Tails questioned.

"_He's_ going to be in on it too."

They entered the hut.

The premises of the red hedgehog were as humble as they came. He did not care much for material possessions after joining the Freedom Fighters. A bed against one wall, four shuttered windows (one to a wall), a fridge in one corner and a wooden desk with a lamp on it. Both the lamp and fridge used electricity from rechargeable batteries buried under the earth (in tough casings, of course, the batteries were designed not to leak and poison the forest floor). Lazer's samurai sword hung against the wall opposite to his bed. The red hedgehog himself was nowhere in sight.

"Where did he go?"

"I'm up here."

The skylight opened (he had a skylight, due to his flight ability) and the red hedgehog floated down, arms folded.

"Now, what's your business with me?"

"Lazer, we're here for your help."

"With?"

Sonic looked fiercely at him. Lazer peered at him through half closed eyes. Sonic was angry, he could tell, since he was not comfortable with such indifferent treatment. However, Lazer was far more experienced in anger than the younger hedgehog. The obvious annoyance of his 'guest' left him unperturbed.

"From this moment, our meeting is officially a Council of Action," Sonic stated. They all regarded him questioningly.

"Sonic! Don't you think the others should know about this? Councils of Action are pretty serious, you know…" Tails began. Then Sonic shot him a glance that would have turned Medusa to stone. Tails was painfully aware that his friend was deadly serious about his actions today. He did not like it one bit.

"Well, whatever eet eez, can we get eet over weeth?" Antoine muttered.

"Tails, you brought the chalk and blackboard, I hope?"

"They're right here."

He placed the materials on the desk.

"Alright, everyone, here's the deal. Robotnik is planning to disrupt my date with Sally tonight."

"What…" Antoine started to speak. 

"Quiet. No questions until I'm done explaining things. Now, here's what we'll do."

They crowded at the sides of Sonic. From a 60-degree angle, he chalked line drawings of the cliff, the Cliff Dome and the beach below.

"Tails, you have to get some fireworks, Okay? I think we saved some after last year's Christmas."

"Got it," Tails responded. 

"Right. Take the Tornado with the fireworks and park it here," he wrote a "T" on the beach, directly beneath the Dome, "Then, you get out on the beach and set up the fireworks behind some rock or the other so they don't get wet. You got that?"  
"Yeah, sure."

"Okay! Now, Lazer: You have to keep yourself out of sight somewhere above the Cliff Dome and watch for any Buttnik scum. Now, when you have to use those fireworks of yours, contact Tails so that he will set off _his_ fireworks, to distract Sally while you atomize whatever sneaks up on the Dome."

"I won't fail," he declared softly.

"Excellent! Now, Antoine, you'll be going with Tails on the Tornado. There's a path somewhere along here,"

He drew a curvy line leading from the foot of the cliff to the east wing of the Dome, away from the entrance that he marked with an arrow pointing inward from the north side.

"Alright, you GOTTA stay out of sight. Sally and the guards can't see you, okay, Ant?"

"I weel follow ze orders implicitly. I weel be ze shadow that no one can notice."

"Right… Anyway, in the case that something _bad_ happens, you gotta lead Sal away to safety. You can use the same car that we will go in. I plan to tell the driver that we expect something crazy to occur, and that he must carry you and Sally to the outskirts of the Great Forest, no questions asked. From there, you can arrange a transport to get her back to Knothole. Understand?"

Antoine was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. It made sense.

"Perfectly."

"Then, while you get Sal the heck outta there, the rest of us will do what we can to repay Buttnik. But, I don't think that'll happen, right, Lazer?"

"No."

Lazer was only too pleased to help eradicate Robotnik's forces. He would ensure that the work be done swiftly and as discreetly as possible, since royalty would be involved. 

"Okay, so what will we be communicating with?"

"I have some walkie-talkies. All of us except you, of course, can have one," Tails offered.

"That's fine. I'll be watching out for any sign of disturbance so that Sally won't notice. By the way, Lazer will need some binoculars."

"Also got that covered. They'll magnify as well as any telescope, except with broad range."

"Tails, you're the man."

Tails smiled appreciatively. He was beginning to get excited with the new mission. So much hung in the balance, and everything had to be calculated perfectly. He liked it.

"Okay, _men_, are our posts absolutely confirmed? Do I need to explain any further?"

There were negative replies.

"This _will_ work out if it's done carefully. I just hope Robotnik won't go with an attack from all sides."

"Sonic, you know that whatever _he_ throws at us, I can throw back harder," the red hedgehog reminded him, forming a small flare in his open palm to emphasize his point.

"I like that attitude. Now, we'll all be at our positions at 8 PM sharp. I'm supposed to arrive at the Dome with Sally before nine. If we don't come at that time, report back to Knothole."

"Understood," they all said. After the Council was dismissed, each went their separate ways to formulate strategies for the grand date.


	8. Onward to Cliff Dome!

It was now eight o' clock

Chapter 8: Onward to Cliff Dome

Sally entered the throne room. Her father was discussing the plans for a new east wing of the castle with one of the royal architects.

"Father, I'm going on a date with Sonic tonight."

The King, caught by surprise, turned to see his daughter.

"Where are you going?" 

"To the Cliff Dome. Sonic has VIP passes for the both of us. We'll be home before eleven, don't worry."

The King paused for a moment to consider this.

"You… may go, my dear. Shall you need an escort? Sir John, perhaps?"

"No, father, Sonic and I will go alone. Thank you for your consent."

With that she turned to leave.

"…Sally?"

She turned again.

"Yes, father?"

"Please call me Daddy. This formal nonsense that we've been teaching you for the past few years has turned you into a robot while in the presence of the court. Please, try to be a little more, er, _frank_ sometimes, my dear?"

The architect suppressed a chuckle. Sally smiled.

"Sure thing, Daddy."

It was now eight o' clock. The stars had all come out as if in celebration of tonight. The Forest was awash in starlight, giving every object a milky pale, gleaming look. About an hour earlier, Sonic had taken a thorough bath at his parent's home and then told them about the date, and where it was taking place. His father (unfortunately, his both parents were roboticized, but now had their own lives back) had found his own black and white tuxedo somewhere in the attic. It was old, and needed to be dusted out and ironed by his mother. After which, Sonic found that it fit snugly. As a last gesture, his mother removed a single, large white rose from a vase and pinned it onto one of the pockets. They wished him good luck.

"Don't forget, son, that you mustn't show her that you're nervous."

"I won't Dad."

"Please come back soon, dear. I hope she'll like your father's tux. It's the only one he had."

"It'll do fine tonight. See y'all later."

"Bye, son!" they both said, as he disappeared into the woods. They wondered for several moments if this date was going to be something more unique.

"Sally! I've come for you."

"Is that you, Sonic? I'll be out in a minute!"

He heard her bustling around in her hut. He had combed out his hair on either side and looked handsomer than ever in the tux. Seconds later she opened the door and came outside.

She was stunning. Sonic knew that his heart was never going to stop pounding for a long while.

Sally was wearing a deep blue evening dress. It was not a gown, but had a slit at the side. It had a plunging neckline that showed… 

At that point, Sonic reminded himself mentally, _"Look UP! You can't be staring like that!"_

Despite the reminder, he noticed that she still had all the curves in the right places, even after years spent in the palace. The starlight fell on her hair at the perfect angle. She had been spending her time at Knothole's salon for the greater part of the afternoon, after finding the dress in one of the clothes shops. She wore no makeup, but that accentuated her features all the more. An enchanting aroma came from her, driving Sonic to the edge of his sanity, and those eyes were on him again; those delicate pale blue pools were looking at him. Sonic could not help but gawk.

"Good God, you're beautiful!" he managed to say after drinking in her appearance. She smiled gratefully.

"Are we ready?"

"Hop on."

She climbed into his arms, being careful not to wrinkle her dress. She was wearing pearl white gloves that went up to her elbows. They were gifts from her mother.

"Do we have to travel like this? I'm afraid that my hair will take some damage," she pouted.

"Don't worry, I won't go too fast. Just keep your arms around me. Please."

She smiled again. She had not bothered with either lipstick or makeup tonight; natural beauty was the most vain, she thought. She hoped that her high-heeled shoes wouldn't fall off during the run.

It was going to be a memorable night.

The run through the Forest was uneventful. They crossed streams in a single bound and hopped over tree roots, all the while Sonic was doing his utmost not to make his date any more uncomfortable than he felt. The striking figure of Sally made him feel that he was a poor peasant carrying a goddess. He did not deserve such a girl, and yet she was his. After tonight, she would be his forever. He hoped.

"Are you nervous?"

"About what?"

"Tonight," he asked.

"Of course I am. I've never been invited to spend an evening in such a fancy place. I hope that I can keep up appearances."

_Listen to her, worrying about 'appearances'!_ Sonic thought, dodging tree roots.

"Don't worry. I'm sure no one there will want to stop looking at you."

"I don't mind. As long as you're there," she said, looking at his face.

"Sal, I'll never leave your side," he reassured her.

Presently they came to a clearing, and a road. The grass was swaying in the cool breeze, and above the trees in the distance they could make out the lights of the city. He set her down, and they walked to the road. Waiting for them on the road was a large black limousine, with a driver who wore a spotless white coat and cap.

"Good evening, Sir and Madam. Will you please step into the car?"

"Ooh, Sonic! You shouldn't have!" she exclaimed delightedly. Sonic had parted with a lot of money, but the limousine would be a good impression.

"After you, your majesty, he said, bowing. He had learnt to bow properly after watching Sir John accompany the King and Queen on their afternoon walk. She climbed into the huge car, and the chauffeur shut the door lightly, after which he took his place at the driver's seat. Sonic went round the other side and entered.

"Onward to Cliff Dome!" Sonic ordered the chauffeur. The limousine's huge engine throbbed to life and they glided off in the direction of the city.

"Sonic, I can't believe you would do this for me," Sally said, placing her hand on his. He grinned.

"Anything for a Princess," he touched her hair with his other hand. It felt silky and warm. "I knew that your hair would be mussed up a little, so I chose a car with a built in salon."

He reached to the other seat before them, and pressed a concealed button. The seat folded downward, displaying a mirror and various assortments of hair products, combs and brushes. Sally stared for a moment, and kissed Sonic on his cheek.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Again, he wished that the kiss could have been a little down and to the right.

All the way to the Cliff Dome, while Sally fussed over her hair, he stared out the window and to the stars. He hoped that somewhere out there, in the vast firmament, the Ancient Walkers (or maybe another omnipotent cosmic force) had blessed this night of nights. 

"Sir and Madam, we have arrived."

The chauffeur cut the engine and left the car to open Sally's door. Her hair had been restored to more-than-perfect condition, and her eyes shone when she gazed upon the Cliff Dome. Sonic stood next to her, and they were both impressed by what they saw.

The Cliff Dome was situated one hundred feet from the cliff's edge. The cliff was the highest outside of the city, over three hundred feet tall. Beyond were the sea and the sky's innumerable stars. The restaurant itself was a large, circular building, no windows, with a sizeable balcony protruding out of the south wing toward the ocean. But they were not looking at the building. Atop the restaurant was a huge transparent bubble, made of durable bulletproof glass. Over twelve spotlights bathed it and the restaurant in white luminescence. The Dome was an engineering marvel, and had taken two full years to be constructed on top of the restaurant. Parazzi himself had envisioned a huge dome covering the restaurant, and now it was an awesome structure to behold. The engineer who invented the blueprints for the seemingly impossible feat had become a very wealthy individual. Now, Sally and Sonic stood in wonder. It was one of the most magnificent sights they had ever beheld. It was even more glorious at night with its smooth surface aglow with the spotlights. They heard a small cough.

"Will Sir and Madam be tarrying here much longer?"

"No, chauffeur, we will enter now."

"Come on, Sonic! I want to see the inside."

"Then, we shall enter, your majesty?"

"We shall," she replied, amused at Sonic's charming attitude. He presented his elbow, and they walked with arms linked toward the splendid restaurant.

"I do hope that Sir's worry of an impending disaster will be for naught," the chauffeur murmured quietly as he watched the couple move off. They were so young, he thought. Untoward events should not happen on such occasions.

They were all in their respective locations. Tails had managed to find a large enough rock to cover his fireworks as Antoine scrambled up the cliff. Lazer was floating about five hundred feet above the ground, directly above the transparent dome. He was wearing his black jacket in which he carried his equipment. Now, he used Tails' binoculars to spy Sonic and Sally entering the restaurant.

"They're here," he reported.

"Roger that," came the fox's reply, slightly fuzzy with static.

"I am aware of zere arrival," it was Antoine. "I hope zat zis weel be done and over weeth without any interruption."

"We all wish it could be that way, Antoine."

"Tails, you have those fireworks ready?" Lazer asked.

"They're all here and accounted for. I wish that we wouldn't need them, but you know Robotnik."

"Yes, I know him too well," came the bitter remark. 

"What are they doing now?"

He consulted the magnified view from the binoculars.

"They have entered the restaurant. No security guards have stopped them… They're inside now."

Sonic had found it strange that no security personnel had asked for identification as yet. He shrugged it off, supposing that Parazzi would not want any of his employees to be in danger. 

"Signor Sonic! Who is your lovely date?" 

Parazzi had greeted them at the large glass doors and found that they wore no coats. He himself was wearing another handsome suit, except it was coloured a deep purple.

"Sally Acorn, meet mister Luciano Parazzi. He gave me the passes after I saved him from his car yesterday."

"Ah, yes! I hope that you are well?" she asked, allowing him to kiss her hand.

"I am in excellent health, thank you Signorina Acorn! Your boyfriend is a very fast runner, I must admit! I even had to _ask_ him to accept a reward for his deed! Such a fine young man!"

Sonic almost blushed again. He disliked it when people sung his praise in front of Sally, for he knew that she would be skeptical of his true heroism.

"Yes, Sonic does save the world every now and then."

"Erm, right. Do we have a seat?"

Sonic realized too late that he had asked a very stupid question. He noticed with alarm that the restaurant was devoid of all life, with only tables and chairs left.

"You are my very special guests tonight! I made sure that you and your delightful girl would be alone to enjoy our exceptional facilities! Now, please seat yourselves wherever you wish so that I might take your orders!"

Sally gave Sonic a queer look. She, too, had wondered why the restaurant was emptied of customers. Luciano's sacrifice to make them exclusive guests was a rather tacky explanation. Sonic took her arm and seated them near to the center of the expansive, circular room. The entire restaurant was air-conditioned, but not too coldly. A waterfall set against one of the walls bubbled away quietly. The floor was of highly polished marble. The tables were in a ring around the center of the room, which evidently served as a dance floor. He eyed a staircase that led to the balcony above them. The walls were painted a silver hue and decorated with eye-catching landscapes and portraits here and there. Overall he appreciated of the grandeur of it all. He noticed that Sally had tilted her head upward toward the dome.

"Aren't the stars bright tonight?"

"Yeah, they're somethin' alright."

Sonic also looked upward to the starry canopy. The transparent dome did not distort vision in the slightest, and gave a breathtaking view of the night sky. Thousands of stars looked down at them from their lofty heights. He knew that a red hedgehog was also floating up there, hidden from sight. They both looked down at the same time, in a brief silence.

"It is a beautiful sight, no? That is why I am so proud of my Cliff Dome. It gives one the view of the heavens while providing earthly entertainment."

Parazzi had moved nearer to them. He placed two menus neatly upon the table.

"Place any order you wish. I have hired my two best chefs tonight."

_I'm sure that he hired no one else tonight,_ Sonic thought grimly. He hid his face behind the menu for several moments, as did Sally. His head popped up suddenly.

"You have chilidogs?! And I thought that those didn't exist in places like this!"

"Indeed, Signor, they do. Here, they are a quantum leap further in quality than the average fast food outlet."

"Sonic! Can't you eat anything else besides _those?_" Sally asked reproachfully. She was also taken aback by the placing of chilidogs on the menu.

"Okay, okay. I'll take a salad plate along with the chilidogs, and don't hold back on the dressing."

"I'll have a salad plate also, but no dressing. The fourth selection looks superb; I'll take that also."

"Drinks?"

They exchanged glances.

"Um, any non-alcoholic?" Sonic asked cautiously, eyeing Sally for signs of disapproval.

"But of course. Does Blue Lightning strike your fancy?" asked Parazzi, his lips curling into a shrewd smile. Sally laughed.

"You're joking?"

"No, signorina, I am not. It is a fine blue colour, also, and it is best when taken under the starlit sky."

"Well, I have no complaints about that!" Sonic replied, shrugging with his palms upward. Sally shook her head. They served chilidogs and a wine that described her date. What luck.

As Parazzi bowed himself away, Sonic glanced at his date.

"The fourth selection is vegetarian. Don't you want some more protein than that?"

"I have to keep my figure, you know."

Sonic grinned mischievously.

"Are you keeping that figure for me?"

"Sonic!" she reproached sharply, trying to look alarmed. She was hopeless at hiding her feelings in front of Sonic, however, so she covered her mouth and giggled.

"Yes, I knew you were."

"Oh, come on, let's talk about something else."

"Well…"

He fingered the white rose on his pocket, racking his memory. What topic of conversation had he chosen? 

"What about the future?" he said at last.

"The future? What of it?"

"What will you do after we get rid of Butt- I mean, Robotnik, forever?"

"I don't know. Maybe we'll hold a week-long party to celebrate," she mused playfully. Sonic's grin was somewhat blank as he tried to remember his response.

"Maybe after we level his city, we'll re-name it Mobitropolis. Then, everyone can pitch in and the city can grow. In a few years, the two cities will join, and we'll finally have our own capital."

Sally was surprised. She did not think that Sonic would have such grand visions of a utopia at this point in life.

"That would be… the perfect idea! Yes! How did you come up with something like that?"

While the conversation had been progressing, his line of sight strayed downward.

_"Look UP! At her face!"_ he reminded himself, and immediately jerked his head upward to reply. 

"Oh, while I was lounging around somewhere…"

Never, ever break eye contact in a conversation, and never let your eyes be tempted by other _things_ during the date, he remembered.

They spent the next few minutes chatting idly of other plans, wondering about the direction their life was taking.

"I hear that Rotor is studying for an engineer's degree?" Sonic asked, wondering if it was appropriate to talk about education on dates.

"Yes, I know. He'll have to study at a university, though, and the nearest one can only be reached by plane."

"I thought they were making a university in the new city?"

"They're not, at least not now. The mayor doesn't want to start building on such a grand scale until we're _sure_ that the city won't have any disturbances."

_You are so right,_ Sonic thought unhappily. He looked hopefully toward the kitchen, and to his tremendous relief one of the chefs was bringing their dinner. He smiled confidently.

"It seems our dinner is ready."  
The chef carefully placed the plates before Sonic and Sally.

"Dinner is served."

The chef then held his hand out toward Sonic, who stared at it blankly, then remembered what he was supposed to do. He fumbled in his tux for a moment and drew out a five-dollar bill.

"Thank you."

"No, Sir, thank _you_."

Sally was waiting.

"Well?"

"What? It's not that I enjoy giving money away."

"I meant that we should start eating."

Sonic mentally punched himself.

"Right," he croaked. 

While Sally delicately handled the food, Sonic tried to remember what Antoine had taught him about table etiquette. He realized soon enough, however, that the food was excellent, and decided to enjoy it rather than stay a nervous wreck throughout the meal.

The night air was getting colder by the minute. The half-moon gleamed above the landscape. Tails was idly dangling his legs over the side of a rock, listening to the threshing of waves. He mused at the thought of Sonic stammering madly as he pulled out the ring, and then falling over as he tried to kneel. Sonic was the type of person who would do that.

Antoine stamped about, trying to keep warm. After some time he pulled out the small pink note he had been reading earlier. Bunnie had returned his message. He smiled as he read it…

Suspended above the Dome by the power of his Emeralds, Lazer scanned the area with high-powered binoculars to the north of the Dome, for any sort of activity that was remarkable enough to investigate. He paid special attention to the area outside of Robotropolis. He hated every aspect of the city. Robotnik had created it, and he looked upon it as a vile, black mark that tainted the land around it with its filthy prescence. As his range of view left the vile city, movement outside of its black shadow caught his attention. Something large was lumbering out of the shadows. He removed the walkie-talkie from his jacket without lowering the binoculars, and contacted his fellow Fighters.

"Tails, Antoine, I've seen _something_ come out of Robotropolis. I'm going to take a closer look. Stand by."

"I hear you, Lazer. We'll stay sharp for your report."

"Make sure you do it quietly, or else ze Princess shall not be pleased."

"Don't tell me how to do my job. I'll call back soon."

Lazer put away the equipment in his jacket and shot off at top speed toward the black speck. Whatever it was, it was too large to be a forest animal. The object rapidly became larger as he flew closer to it.

"Yep, it's one of Robotnik's alright," he muttered to himself, as a familiar sense of loathing rose within him. He was hovering above a giant robotic walker, with a ComBot at the controls. It was walking with two huge, hydraulically powered legs that advanced twenty feet per step. It was tramping straight through the forest on the west side of the new city. Lazer lowered himself so that the ComBot could see him clearly from the cockpit.

"State your mission!" the red hedgehog challenged.

"FIRST PRIORITY: DESTROY 'CLIFF DOME'. SECONDARY PRIORITY: ELIMINATE INTERFERENCE" came the programmed reply, amplified by outside speakers. 

_"Well, that wasn't so hard,"_ Lazer thought. He promptly dodged the artillery fire as the robot walker tried to shoot him. It turned around and resumed its attack. Trees burst aflame as the cannons tried to blast Lazer, who darted through the air with a wry grin on his face. 

"I'm sorry, your access is denied."

With that, he charged Chaos energy in his fists, drawing power from the Emeralds. A red aura glowed around him, and he pointed both fists at the combot. 

"Goodbye!"

With a burst of radiance, twin laser beams exploded from his fists and seared through the night air. With a flash of light, they struck the walker. _Almost_ struck the walker. An invisible shield prevented the deadly laser beams from even singing the walker's armour. Lazer grinned again. So, he thought, it wanted to increase the fun factor. He began a random evasion pattern, dashing here, there and everywhere as missiles and varying forms of gunfire tried to exterminate him. He deliberately drew its fire away from the forest. He did not want any more trees to be destroyed, since forest animals lived in them. Looking around him, he found the solution to his small distraction.

"Tails," he said, pulling out the walkie-talkie from his jacket as he arched over a pointed missile, "You can start those fireworks now. Make sure they go up high enough."

"Understood, and don't tell me how to do my job," came the young voice.

On the beach, Tails lit a flare and touched off the fireworks one by one. They hissed upward (some of them left a dazzling light trail) and exploded into a myriad of colours, with great echoing booms. He did not watch their explosions, however, and ran back and forth to make _sure_ that Sally would not be distracted by anything else.

"Fireworks! I didn't know they had fireworks here!"

Sonic nearly fell off his seat when the first firework exploded outside of Cliff Dome. So, the conflict had begun, he thought. They had just finished dinner, and Parazzi had cleared away the dishes for dessert. 

"I, er, made a special arrangement for fireworks tonight. I wanted this date to be special for you."

Sally turned from the light display and her eyes were filled with affection.

"Oh, Sonic, you're so thoughtful!" she gushed. She held out her hand across the table and Sonic took it in his, and they both watched the brilliant show of light and colour. If only she knew the real reason, he thought…

As Sally looked on, she thought joyfully, _Sonic truly went out of his way to make me happy._ She was incredibly lucky to have such a charming boyfriend. She then wondered what other surprises would come after dessert…

Lazer flew about quickly, and the walker followed him, gins ablaze, between two very tall trees. He muttered for the forest animals to forgive him, as he powered up his fists again, and unleashed two energy spheres upon the base of each tree. With a loud crack and uprooting of earth, each tree fell toward the other, both landing heavily upon the walker. The shield around the walker crackled violently, and burst into sparks under the pressure. The hydraulic legs groaned under the weight as the two giant trees bore down upon it. The ComBot was trying its mechanical best to compensate for the robotic walker's peril. Then it realized that the red hedgehog was floating before it once more.

"YOU MUST BE DESTROYED," it said, albeit futilely. Lazer smiled wickedly. Mischief showed in his dark eyes. He was so amused at the hopeless struggle. Ah well; all fun must end at some point.

"Goodbye, may your circuits smolder in peace."

The ComBot tried once more to free its walker. It did not make it, however, as an iridescent red beam ended its artificial life. The cockpit and half of the walker melted to molten slag on the ground. Lazer broke off the savage attack of laser beams, and landed on top of the walker, the spikes on his boots allowing him to gain a steady foothold. Incredibly, without the combot to control them, the hydraulic legs were still functioning, groaning under the weight of the colossal trees. Raising his fist into the air, he concentrated his stored electrical energy. With a yell, he smashed his fist into the metal surface, and the walker was suddenly lit up with massive bolts of lightning! It shook and shuddered jerkily about, wavering in its step and streaming smoke as its circuits overloaded. Lazer flew off before the metal behemoth plowed into the ground, still jerking in its death spasms. The walker was certainly destroyed, totally beyond any repair Robotnik or his other robots could manage. 

Satisfied with his handiwork, he took flight toward the Dome, making a mental note to get caught in a thunderstorm after the night was over.

"That dessert was wonderful! Apricot fruit and ice cream, yum," Sally commented. Sonic carefully wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin. 

"Yeah, good enough for a Princess," he remarked. Sally blushed, although knowing that she _was_ a princess. Sonic pushed his chair back and walked next to her.

"Will you accompany me on the balcony?"

He held out his hand. She took it and they crossed the floor toward the marble staircase on the other side of the room. From the kitchen, Parazzi watched them leave.

"See that? Now, chef, that is what I call young love," he commented to his employee. 

"Yes, Sir, I wish that I had a girlfriend at that age." 

"Don't worry, chef, the world's full of eager young girls. You just need to find one before you get old like me," he laughed. He should have hired the band tonight so that his two guests could have danced, but he had a feeling that his young guests had more _important_ things to do after their date. He also did not want to lose too many employees if the unexpected happened.

The night air was near freezing as Sonic led Sally to the balcony overlooking the sea. She drew closer to him, trying to keep warm.

"It's cold. Stay close," she murmured, hugging his arm as they approached the railing. 

"Sally, how long have we known each other?"

"That sounds like a line from a bad soap opera," she remarked, "I guess we've known each other since we were kids growing up in Knothole."

"Yes, since we were kids. Sal, we've been as close as brother and sister, maybe even closer as the years went by. I've never felt this, this feeling of happiness and joy, with anyone before until I met you. You make me feel glad whenever you're near to me."

"Like now?" she said softly, looking up at him. He smiled gently.

"Especially now," he whispered. It was inevitable what came next… he drew her closer and they kissed. The chill of the night air had no effect on them as they warmed each other's bodies, locked in the passion of their embrace, forgetting themselves and who they were for the simple pleasure of the kiss. After what seemed like a trip to heaven, they came down to earth and broke away, each a little breathless.

"You're a good kisser," she purred, resting her head on his chest.

"No objections from me either," he murmured, lovingly stroking her hair. She is so beautiful, he thought blissfully. She was on of God's more careful creations.

Together, they looked at the dark ocean, holding each other close. They stayed like that for a long time, content to be warm and in each other's arms.

Tails whirled his tails and drifted quietly upward after he made sure that all his fireworks had been spent. The cliff was high, but over the years he had learned to hover for a longer period. He wanted to see when Sonic proposed to Sally. He knew that it was going to be too mushy and yucky for his tastes, but this was an event he could not miss. He landed far to the east side of the balcony, so that he could see the two lovebirds from the ground using his binoculars. Antoine snuck up next to him and they both watched in the general direction of Sonic and Sally.

"Has zat tuxedoed hedgehog made his move yet?" Antoine absently inquired. He was not jealous of Sonic's relationship with Sally any longer, since he had his own girl: Bunnie. He was content, however, that Sally would finally find her place in life beside Sonic. He himself had thought of marrying Bunnie, but this time was simply not perfect. They were still tentative in their relationship, but they did love each other. He sighed inwardly. Did he have the heart to make such a commitment, as Sonic was doing up there, someday?

"Nope. They seem to be hugging, though."

"Good. At least when he asks her, she will be ready for it."  
Tails lowered the binoculars and pulled out his walkie-talkie. He carried his equipment on a belt.

"Lazer, notice anything strange from up there?" 

Lazer had contacted him and Antoine earlier, affirming that the threat to Cliff Dome had been handled.

"Apart from a hedgehog and squirrel in love? Negative. Nothing peculiar from where I am," came the static-muffled reply.

"Great. Let's hope it'll stay that way."  
"The hope is mutual."

Above, Lazer searched the dark ocean's horizon. He did not see anything but waves, except that point of light on the ocean which was probably the moon's reflection on its dark waters. To be sure, he zoomed in to maximum.

That was no reflection!

"What the heck…"

The light was growing slightly larger. It flared up for an instant, and then rocketed off! It was zooming at high speed toward the Cliff Dome!

_"Damn it!" _

He knew what that small flare was. The exhaust of a missile!

"Emeralds, don't fail me now…"

Pointing his fist downward, he created a single, thin beam in the path of the missile. The laser energy caused the water to foam and steam below. With large amounts of luck, the beam would be unseen and it would cut the missile in two. But then…

Eventually, Sonic resumed his speech.

"Sally, there's a thought that occurred to me yesterday. We've been at peace for a long time now, and the war seems to be over. I believe that some commitment can be made for the future…" he said, repeating the lines that he had practiced in the afternoon.

"What commitment would that be?" she asked, looking up at him with an inquisitive look in her enchanting eyes. Sonic desperately wondered if he should ask her or not, as he looked into those adoring blue irises. Was he in love with her? Absolutely. Was she in love with him? Unquestionably. What better reason was there to 'pop the question'?

He started to reach inside his tux for the ring that would ensure their future together.

It was at that moment when he heard a dull roar.

"Huh?" he mumbled, looking away from Sally and to the ocean. Confused, Sally followed his gaze. The magic of the night seemed to be broken.

"What's wrong…" she began to say, but time had run out. A white flare was racing toward them through the air, far in the distance, and at the same moment some unseen force caused a loud bang and shower of sparks to come from the object. Sonic was about to explain that more fireworks had been set, but then a very queer thing happened. The flare seemed to have gone mad. It spun crazily in the air for a moment, and then shot straight upward, above the Dome. Red beams of light crisscrossed the sky but missed the flare entirely, so fast did it move. As the small white flame dove downward, and more red beams failed to strike it, the spotlights caught it in their light. Sonic realized with horror what the strange object was.

"A missile! Dive for it!" he yelled, tensed for the imminent danger.

"Sonic!" she shouted, as the world seemed to explode around them. A tremendous explosion shook the Cliff Dome to its foundations, as the glassy dome shattered into a million pieces. Shrapnel spewed in all directions, and Sally felt herself struck down as the deadly shards of glass rained around her. She heard a grunt, and a drawn out groan. She slowly opened her eyes.

Sonic had dived over her, covering her body in a bid to save her life. After gaining her bearings, she raised herself and looked at Sonic. He was lying face down. She suddenly felt sick, as she noticed that three glass shards had embedded themselves into his back, severing three of his spines. His warm blood was staining her dress.

"Sonic! _Oh my God, NO!_" she screamed in the utmost horror, backing away from him. Her hands, legs and dress were covered in her boyfriend's blood. Her eyes were wide and filled with horror at the gruesome scene. A night of love and romance had turned into one of terror and blood. Why, oh God, why did this have to _happen?_ With tears streaming out of her eyes, she crept closer to him, careful to avoid the red pool.

"Sonic, oh God, who would do this?" she cried, sobbing uncontrollably. She was afraid to touch him, lest the glass shards did more injury.

"Princess! Sonic!" a voice called out from above. Lazer had landed next to her, his jacket flapping about him. He backed away slightly when he saw Sonic lying on the ground, his body violated by the cruel shards.

"Oh Ancient Walkers, why did I let this happen…"  
"Lazer?! What are you doing here?!!" she cried in a shocked voice. Things were happening so suddenly! 

"There was a missile heading straight for you two, so I blasted it and caused it to change direction…"

"WHAT!!" she screamed, leaping toward him, wildly attacking him with her fists. He numbly allowed her to pound on his chest, knowing the pain she felt.

_"Why couldn't you stop it!?"_ she shrieked, sagging to the ground after spending her energy. 

"I… thought it would have blown up first…and it was such a small target…"

"Aunt Sally! Sonic!"

"Princess Sally! Have you been injured!?"

Antoine and Tails had arrived. Tails had carried the coyote to the balcony. They all stared aghast at Sonic lying in his blood.

"Sonic! Nooo!" Tails shouted, rushing to his side. He took his pulse: weak and erratic. He was unsure whether he should risk pulling out the glass shards. They could slip and sever an artery.

"Sacrébleu! How could zees happen?" The guard suddenly felt sick.

"I failed to prevent this, but I can help…" Lazer said, recovering from his guilt. He felt terrible when others got injured due to his own mishaps, particularly when that someone was a Freedom Fighter. He stood over Sonic, while Tails shook his friend's shoulder and Sally moaned Sonic's name over and over, overwhelmed with anguish as her tears fell onto the marble surface of the balcony, mixing with the lifeblood of her lover. The distressing situation agonizingly reminded Lazer of himself when Xadra had been destroyed…

"Sonic! Wake up!" Tails sobbed. Antoine moved nearer. He remembered his responsibility in this situation.

"Princess Sally, you must come back to Knothole with me…"

"What!" she shouted in disbelief, turning to the guard, "How could I leave Sonic like this? He's dying! Can't we do something?!" she cried feverishly.

Lazer kneeled next to Tails, considering the injuries. Sonic was not breathing.

"Lazer! Why did you let that missile do this?"

"It wasn't my missile, Princess," he said softly, looking down at the inert form of Sonic, "I think that if I hadn't tried to stop it, it would have killed you both instantly…"

"I'd have rather died than let Sonic suffer like this!" she cried miserably. She violently pulled at Lazer's arm.

"Get away from him! If you couldn't save him, then I will!"

"Princess, please I can help…" he pleaded.

"NO!" she shrieked. "NO! Get away from him!"

Sally was in severe shock. She had never felt so furious and upset, and angry, in all her life. Why did this happen, she kept on thinking to herself. Irrationally, she was blaming Lazer for the horrible turn of events. When she tried to tear Lazer away from Sonic once more, a mist blew underneath her nose, and she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Sally…"

Tails was holding an aerosol can.

"Antoine, you can take her back home now," he muttered, miserably looking at Sonic. The can fell from his hand, rolling forgotten to one side. Tails felt sick and helpless.

"Yes, I believe zat I will," the coyote replied, trying not to flinch as he picked up the princess in her bloodstained clothing. He carried her down the stairs and to the limousine. The driver nodded in assent as Antoine told him to drive them to a location at the borders of the Great Forest. So, _this_ was the trouble that Sir had feared earlier…

"Lazer, you said you could help?" 

The red hedgehog sighed bitterly. 

"Yes. That missile was supposed to have been destroyed before…"

"Well, help him then!" Tails yelled. He felt nauseated as he looked at the bloody wounds of his best friend.

"I will," came the firm response. Lazer knew that he was partly responsible for causing the missile to strike the Dome. Just because he had not wanted to interrupt the proposal, he had made the beam thin and unnoticeable. Now, he wished that he had released the full fury of the Emeralds, and detonated the missile while it was still over the ocean! At least Sonic and Sally would have gone unharmed! He tried to concentrate on Sonic now. Years spent helping the Freedom Fighters necessitated the frequent use of his healing abilities. He had not yet mastered the power of the emeralds, but managed to develop a potent healing ability. He held out his hand, and an invisible force caused the glass shards to float out of the wounds. He discarded the dripping shards. Then, he closed his eyes in concentration and rested both hands upon the wounds themselves. Tails flinched a little. A red glow engulfed Sonic and Lazer, as the Emeralds went to work. Tails shielded his eyes from the bright aura.

Slowly, surely, the gashes were thinning. Lazer was concentrating all his power, trying to heal, to save a life. Sonic was hovering near death, he could tell. Slowly, slowly, the wounds closed themselves under the influence of the Chaos Emeralds. Damaged tissue was healed. The spikes on his back regenerated themselves. One minute later, Lazer released his concentration and heaved a sigh, falling backward on his hands.

"I did my best," he gasped, his mind reeling. His energy reserves had been tapped to extreme limits. 

"Thank Goodness!" Tails said. He had been holding his breath since Lazer had placed his hands upon Sonic. He felt a surge of immense relief as Sonic began breathing again. 

"Sonic, wake up! You're not dead! You can wake up now!" he shook Sonic's shoulder again.

"…blg…"

"Yes!!" Tails cried, jumping from the ground with joy. 

"Is… Sally…" he whispered, as his eyes opened a bit.

"Yeah, Antoine took her back to Knothole like you said he should! She's safe, and so are you!"

Groggily, Sonic got to his feet. He groaned loudly and stretched. His back was feeling sore.

"Where the hell did that missile…"

His words were cut off as a booming, amplified voice came from the ocean.

"Incredible! Your red friend managed to save you! But that doesn't matter! As long as I disrupted your little evening, I'll count that as a victory!" it laughed. No one standing on the balcony had any doubt as to whom that voice belonged.

"Robotnik!" they chorused fiercely.

"Pleased to meet all of you! You see, Sonic, I am a genius and knew about that date of yours. I also knew that you were about to ask Sally to marry you! So, I decided to cause a little mayhem to bring life to such a boring evening!"

"Why did you do that to her, Robotnik!? Why pick on Sally?" Sonic yelled at the darkness, his fists bunched up.

"What a distinct pleasure it was to see the princess Sally in hysterics after you tried to save her, and got yourself almost killed! I was rolling in laughter as she blamed your red friend for not stopping my missile! This evening was a grand spectacle for my records!"

Sonic growled. That bastard Robotnik! He had ruined everything, when the proposal was about to take place! Uncontrollable rage built up within him. That Buttnik would pay the consequences a thousand fold!

"Lazer," he muttered, filled with the desire to kill, "I need some light."

"Taken care of," he replied, also furious that Robotnik had done this for the sake of his own malicious pleasure. Madmen needed no motive to cause chaos. He stretched out his arms toward the sea, and created a low-energy laser wave that lit up the waves with red light. A submarine floating some four hundred meters off the coast was clearly visible.

"I'm coming after you, Buttnik!" Sonic barked. He savagely ripped the tux from his back and bounded off the balcony. He landed nimbly and ran with high velocity to the cliff's edge, filled with indescribable rage. 

In his submarine, Robotnik chuckled. The blue rodent was about to kill him. He shrugged and pulled a lever. The floor beneath his command chair gave way, and the evil scientist was dropped into an escape pod. He who runs away…

Above the dark depths, the blue hedgehog had leaped from the cliff. He spun into a ball and landed on the beach in a cloud of sand. He gritted his teeth, spying the submarine under the red wave of light. He pulled off a "Figure 8" and rocketed toward the water, his legs pumping across the sand. Upon hitting the water, his shoes seemed to fly across the surface, leaving a spray of foam in his wake. Nothing could stop him, not even the laws of physics stood in his way.

"Whoa man! He's actually running on water!" Tails commented, watching the speedy blue wonder through binoculars. He was skimming the surface of the waves with flying feet, drawing ever closer to the submarine.

With his shoes flashing across the water, he spun into a spiky ball once more, becoming a supersonic spinning blade. With a yell, he collided with the hull. The metal ripped apart as the living rotor blade tore straight through it. The submarine was cut neatly into two pieces, and began to take on water. As he cleared the ruined submarine, Sonic did a twist in mid air. His feet performed the Figure 8 again, and upon hitting the surface he gained momentum and rolled into the spiky blue blade. He cut lengthways across the severed pieces, and then headed for the shore, leaving four pieces of metal to sink to their graves on the seabed. He was hopelessly enraged that Robotnik had not been in the submarine to be cut to pieces like the rest of the machine. He must have escaped again, the cowardly tub of lard!

"Yeah! That submarine is trash! Go, Sonic!" Tails yelled exultantly, punching his fist into the air. The red light generated by Lazer faded to the blackness of night. Sonic disappeared along with the red glow.

"Where'd he go?" 

"Back home. He knows that part of the plan was to take Sally back to Knothole, so that's where he'll go."

"Poor guy. This date meant a lot to him."

Lazer said nothing. He levitated off the ground.

"Hey! I'm coming with you."

"The Tornado is on the beach. Happy flying," he said tersely, and disappeared into the starlit sky. Tails watched him go. He turned around and looked at the obliterated Dome, with only splinters left from what had been a marvelous work of art. Yet another victory for Robotnik! The young fox sighed, frustrated, twirled his tails took off for the beach. He had wished for the night to go well, but apparently his lucky star was not shining tonight. He felt a great sense of pity for both Sally and Sonic, for this was supposed to have been _their_ night… 

Mr. Parazzi was heading home in his own limousine, rather overwhelmed that his dome had been shattered. He had given the chefs their salary in advance, and sent them home after the insanity had taken place. Both chefs had displayed their shock and sympathy for what had happened. Both had gone home wondering why such an awful thing would happen to a pleasant man like Parazzi.

Although dismayed with the loss of his Cliff Dome, he knew that he would never use it again. He and his family had a plane to catch this very night…he would explain their predicament to his wife and daughters after they were safely out of this country's airspace. 

Such was life.


	9. Aftermath of an imperfect night

Chapter 9: The aftermath of an imperfect night

Chapter 9: Aftermath of an imperfect night

Sonic's first priority when he returned to Knothole was to visit Sally. A crowd had gathered around her hut, and as they saw Sonic they parted to let him through.

The bed on which Sally was sleeping upon was illuminated with a single lamp. Around the bed stood Queen Alicia, Prince Elias and the King himself. Dr. Quack was standing in a corner with Rotor, Bunnie, Sir John and Antoine.

"What happened, Sonic? What happened to my daughter?" he asked in a low, strained voice. The old King had been greatly worried when he was reported to that Antoine had brought his daughter home in bloodstained clothing. Antoine had called for Dr. Quack and then carried Sally to her hut. He had given a hasty summary of the horrible incident when the King arrived with his family and Sir John. 

Sonic looked sadly at Sally, lying on the bed.

"A long story, your Highness."

Sonic related the story: the warning from Robotnik, the plans he had made, and the date that was rudely interrupted as the Dome exploded when the missile hit it.

"The moment the missile hit the Dome, I dived to cover Sally, felt something cut into my back, then blacked out. When I woke up, Tails and Lazer were standing by me. Then, Robotnik jeered at us, and he escaped when I shredded his submarine. He was the one that had shot the missile at us."

Shock registered on everyone else's face except Antoine's.

"You saved my daughter, and she will recover. For that I am grateful. I can't believe that Robotnik has come back, after almost two years in hiding…" the King said. Sonic spoke to the doctor.

"Dr. Quack, will she be all right?"

"No need for worry. Little bruises here and there. You may want see her in the morning."

"Good."

Sonic began to walk out of the hut.

"Sonic! Where y'all going?" Bunnie asked. He did not turn to face the company.

"Someplace where I can be alone," he muttered in reply. He raced out of the hut into the night.

About half an hour later, Tails arrived home with the Tornado. He parked it in a secure place then entered the hut to tell his side of the story. 

"So, that's what really happened," the King said, sighing deeply. He was not pleased with the outcome of the night. He should have told Sir John to follow them! But Sally was safe. Nothing else mattered.

"Does anyone know where Sonic went?"

"Somewhere where he could be alone, he said," Rotor replied. 

"Poor guy. He's been through a lot tonight; his date being messed up and all… did he say what the date was really about?"

"No, he didn't. What?" the Prince asked.

"Good, as long as he didn't tell you. It'll be best for Sally if she doesn't know."

Tails left. The King looked down tenderly at his sleeping child. She's so young, he thought. Why must she experience those horrible incidents? He knew that he could not persuade her to stay away from danger, for she was a Freedom Fighter. He thought about the return of Robotnik. What could be done?

The Freedom Fighters around and within the hut gradually dispersed. The King and Queen stayed behind to watch over their daughter, talking quietly to one another. The lamplight flickered upon the face of Sally, sleeping fitfully. She would eventually awaken, and remember that imperfect night…

The moon cast its dim light upon the lone figure standing by the Lake of Rings. Sonic was standing there, filled with anger at the unfairness of it all. In his mind's eye he saw the events of the night over and over again. Why did it have to end that way? Why did Sally have to be wrapped up in this? He had no concern for anyone except her, the one he loved. She had seen things that no person should ever witness in their lifetime, and yet she persisted. He wished that something could be done to make up for the date gone terribly wrong. He thought of Robotnik, and his increasing power. He had made it obvious tonight that he was ready to regain his hold of tyranny over Mobius. He had to be stopped all over again. He looked into the waters of the Lake and thought about what should be done. 

On the other end of the Lake, Lazer alighted on the roof, silently opened the skylight of his hut and slipped inside. He understood perfectly the thoughts that were percolating in Sonic's head at that moment: the blue hedgehog would want revenge for the great injustice that he had endured, and especially would he want to avenge Sally. Years ago, he had felt what Sonic was feeling now. He closed the skylight and collapsed into bed, kicking off his spiked shoes. Damned Robotnik! He had not only destroyed an entire civilization, but also wanted to meddle in the private lives of Freedom Fighters. If only I could have killed him so long ago, Lazer thought grimly, the world would be such a better place… he rolled over in his bed. So far he had been able to honour the wish of his father. How much longer before he finally broke under pressure, and killed someone? The failure of his duty tonight troubled him, but he would try to forget it, and get some sleep. However, he was sure that Sonic would not sleep tonight. 

Ancient Walkers, give Sonic and Sally strength. You work in mysterious ways, and I am a mere carrier of your Chaos Emeralds, but I also need your reassurance…

The strike must be done quickly, and very soon, Sonic thought, before Robotnik regained his former strength… Yes, very soon… 

_I can't have a normal life until he is put out of the picture permanently. No one on Mobius can have peace until he is destroyed…_

In the gloomy tower of Robotropolis, Robotnik crossed his legs on the chair and formulated his own plans. The blue rodent would attack him soon, he decided. Either tonight or the next week, and it would be a difficult problem to solve. His friends would all join him in the attack, he knew. Certain measures had to be taken, and he must gather _his_ forces for the reckoning. Factors to consider, strategies to be created… he was not going to sleep tonight, either.

************END************

Thank you for reading my story. I apologize if any part of this fanfiction has misleading information on the Freedom Fighters. Keep in mind that this took place about four years in the future, and that many things had changed. Did you enjoy reading this fanfic of mine? If so, please review it. The gesture will be greatly appreciated.

-The author, LazerTH.


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